1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exterior and interior building paints. The present invention more particularly relates to heat insulation of buildings by application of an insulating material to lower heating and cooling costs and enhance energy savings.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Paint, in and of itself, has certain insulation characteristics when applied to the exterior or the interior of a building. However, it has not previously been known or suggested to incorporate insulation materials into paint to thereby produce an insulating paint. Hollow glass microspheres have been used in thermal insulating applications and as extenders in a variety of applications. The glass microspheres or extenders are suggested for application in epoxies, pastes, putties, adhesives, and sealants. Such extenders are particularly known and have been found useful to reduce weight while increasing the body or volume of plastic formed products.
Prior art patents are equally devoid of any reference to insulating paints for use in building heating and cooling applications. A paint insulation for an electrical conductor is shown in Japanese Patent No. 52-8486. The insulation is provided for use on an electrically conductive wire.
A fire resistant paint, manufactured by dispersing powdered glass and a powdered blowing agent through the paint, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,764, to R. Shannon. At high temperatures, the dispersion agents are physically transformed into a layer of foamed glass which insulates the protected surface from the heat of the fire.
Hollow glass particles or microspheres are used to impart thermal insulation and fire resistance characteristics to a building panel in U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,836, to L. Wassel. The hollow glass particles are bonded with a refractory material by a binder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,073, to W. Koide, et al., discloses the addition of glass microspheres or "microballoons" to putty in order to form a fire resistance seal. Microballoons are defined as fine, hollow particles of organic or inorganic material. The interior voids of the microballoons may be closed or open to the atmosphere.
Russian Pat. No. 717005 discloses a phosphate filler of spheroid shape for reducing the density of an insulating material. Hollow glass microspheres for sound insulation in a sheet-like material are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,162, to A. Metzger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,969, to B. Bhat, shows a fire resistant cellular fiber mixed with paint.
West German Pat. No. 1,921,559 shows a wallpaper paste that is adhered by heat and foams to effect sound and thermal insulation. An extrusion process for materials containing silica and alumina microspheres is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,806 to B.G. Sechler.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,060, to D. Vincent, shows micro capsules formed of a polymeric material. The capsules are of a small diameter of less than 5 microns and in one example, are incorporated in paint to give flame resistance and "hiding" power. Vincent shows a ratio of 0.1 to 1.0 pound of microcapsules per gallon of paint. The microcapsules are added to paint already formulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,013, to M. Daroga, et al., discloses a flame resistant barrier coating incorporating, by weight 20%-45% hollow glass microspheres. Daroga does state that the hollow glass microspheres are thermal insulators. Daroga would require a microsphere size of between 10 and 250 microns.